Arrested federal judge keeps getting $200K salary

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama federal judge stripped of his caseload following his arrest on domestic violence charges in Atlanta will continue receiving his annual salary of nearly $200,000.

Legal experts say federal judicial rules don’t include a provision for withholding the pay of U.S. District Judge Mark Fuller while a disciplinary committee reviews the case.

Atlanta police arrested Fuller early Sunday and charged him with misdemeanor battery after his wife called 911 from a hotel and said he was beating her. Fuller told police that his wife became violent as she confronted him with allegations of cheating.

Former federal judge John Carroll, who is now a dean at Cumberland Law School at Samford University, says each federal circuit has a disciplinary system, and judges retain salary while they have their title.